It's the time of year when we often hear about unusual fish appearing in our waters, and this season is no exception. Anglers casting into false albacore have been coming up with an unexpected fish: juvenile king mackerel.
Kevin Blinkoff, of On The Water magazine, says many fishermen are initially mistaking the catch for Spanish mackerel, which, while somewhat unusual, do show up regularly in the fall. The two mackerels can be very similar in appearance. Here's how to tell them apart.
The juvenile kings we're seeing are mostly in the 3-5 pound range.
Fishermen have started targeting kings by casting into blitzing albies with a lure slightly larger that what you'd use for an albie, and retrieving a little slower. When a king mackerel strikes, it can launch as much as six feet into the air. That's exciting.
Other fish oddities that have appeared recently include small jacks, pinfish, and lizard fish—all of them more commonly associated with Florida and the Gulf of Mexio.
We talk more about king mackerel and why they may be here, and we round up the fishing action for this weekend (keep checking the Canal!)—it's all in the Fishing News, above. Give it a listen.
Also, if you're land-bound this weekend, you can hit the annual StriperFest at Falmouth harbor to get your fill of tackle demonstrations and fishing talk.